Turnbull defends rent payment to wife

Australia's richest politician, Malcolm Turnbull, has defended
using his taxpayer funded travel allowance to pay $175 a night rent
for staying in his wife's Canberra townhouse.

The Minister for the Environment said he, like every other
politician in Canberra, was entitled to an allowance for every
night spent in Canberra and what he did was completely within the
rules.

He said Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd and Labor environment
spokesman Peter Garrett were also very wealthy men who received the
same entitlements.

"Where I stay, whether I stay in expensive accommodation or
cheap accommodation, in my own apartment or an apartment belonging
to my wife, a hotel or a serviced flat, is immaterial," he told ABC
television.

"You get the same amount and where you stay is of no concern to
the government. That's the way the system works."

News Ltd newspapers said Mr Turnbull was worth at least $125
million, but paid the allowance to stay in his wife's Canberra
townhouse and also claimed another $10 a night when his wife stayed
with him.

It said he paid on average $10,000 a year to his wife.

Mr Turnbull said this was all a Sunday tabloid newspaper
beat-up.

His understanding was that there was a small incremental payment
when a spouse stayed over.

"This applies to everybody. You could ask if the same rules
apply to Kevin Rudd or Peter Garrett or me," he said.

"Every MP in canberra gets the same amount. That means you don't
get into arguments whether people stay in accommodation that is too
expensive or not expensive enough or what."

No-one had every questioned this before, he said.

"If you want to have a means test, then perhaps Mr Rudd is a
very wealthy man, Mr Garrett is a wealthy man, perhaps they will
volunteer not to claim a travel allowance.

"The fact is that it applies to every MP and Senator and I am in
full compliance with the rules as I am sure they are."